Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-11-18

reading was mechanical drudgery, When,
if they had understood the languages
they read, the employment of reading
might have been q luxury. No wonder
his children despised him, and stealthily
sold his books and hoped for his death
La all ages there has been need Of q
society for prevention of cruelty to
children. When Barbara was put to
death by her father because she had coun
fernandez his order and had three
windows put in room instead Of
two, this cruel parent was type
Of many who have acted the Nero and the
RObespierre in the home circle. The
heart sickens at Whist you sometimes see,
even in families that pretend to be Chris
tian-perpetual scolding, and hsir-pull-
ing, and esr-boxing, and humping, and
stamping, and faultfnding, and teasing,
until the children are VeXed beyond
bounds and growl in the sleeve, and pout,
and rebel, and vow within themselves
that ia after days they will reteliate for
the cruelties practiced. Many a home has
become as full Of dispute as was the home
of John O'Groat, who built his house at
the most northerly point in Great Britain.
And tradition says that the house had
eight windows, and eight doors, and
table of eight sides, because he had eight
children, and the only way to keep them
out of bitter quarrel was to have sepa-
rate appointment for each one OF them.
That child's nature is too delicate to be
worked upon by sledge- hammer, and
gOuge, and pile-driver. Such
FIERCE LAsHlNG,
instead Of breaking the high mettle to bit
and trace, will make IL dash of the more
uncomfortable. Many seem to think that
children are fsx-nOt fit for use till they
nave been hetcheled and swingled. Some
one talking to child said: 81 wonder
what makes that tree out there so crook
ed" The child replied: 81 suppose it
WAS trOd on while it was young" In
some families al the discipline is concen-
trsted upon one Child's head. If anything
is done wrong, the superstition is that
George did it. He broke the latch. H
left open the gate. He hacked the bannls
tiers. He Whitfield sticks on the carpets.
And George shall be the scapegoat for all
domestic misunderstanding and suspic-
ions. If things get wrong in the culinary
department, in comes the mother and says,
sngrily: "WheTe is George?" II business
matters are perplexing at the store, in
comes the father at night and says, an
grily: "Where is George?" In many
household there is such q one singled out
for suspicion and castigatiOn. All the
S sweet flowers of his soul blasted under
this perpe ual northeast storm, he curses
the day IN which he was born. Safer the
child in an ark of bulrushes on the Nile
among crocodiles than in an elegant man.
sion amid such domestic gorgons. A
mother was passing along the street one
day and csme up to her little child, who
did not see her approach, and her child
was saying to her playmates: "You
good for- nothing little scamp, you come
right into the house this minute, or will
beat you till the skin comes off" The
mother broke in saying: "Why, Lizzie,
am surprised to hear you talk like that
10 anyone" OOH" said the little child,
81 was only playing, and he is my little
BOY, and l am scOldtng him, as you did
me this morning." Children are apt to
be ecnoes of their parents.
Safer in Bethlehem msnger among
cattle and camels, with gentle Mary to
watch the little innocent, than the most
extrevsgant nursery over which Gods
star of peace never stood. The trapper
extinguishes the fines on the prairie by
fighting
FIRE WITH FIRE,
but you cannot, with the fire OF your own
disposition, put out the fire OF q child's
disposition.
Yet We may rush to the other extreme
and rule children by too great leniency.
The surgeon is not unkind because not
Withstanding the resistance OF his patient
he goes straight on with firm hand and
unfaltering heart to take Of the gangrene.
Nor is the parent less aftectionate and
faithful because, Notwithstanding ell vio-
lent remonstrances on the part OF the
child, he with the frmest discipline ad
vances TO the cutting of of its evil ipcli-
nations. The Bible says: "Chasten thy
son while there is hope, and let not
thy soul spare for his crying"
Childish rage unchecked will, after
while, become hurricane. Childish
petulance will grow up into misanthropy.
Childish rebellion Will develop into the
Is Wlessness of riot and sedition. Ii you
would ruin the child, dance to his every
caprice snd stuff him with confectionery.
Before you are aware of it that boy Cf SIX
years Will 60 down the street, cigar in
his mouth and resdy on any corner with
his comrades to compare pugilistic at
tainments. The parent who allows the
child to grow up without ever having
learned the great duty of obedience ana
Submission has prepared cup Of burn
Jag gall for his own lips and appalling de-
struction for his descendant. Remember
Eli aud his two sons, Hopnni and
Pninehas.
A second error prevalent in the train
ing of children is laying out Of q theory
and following it without arranging it to
varieties of disposition. In every family
you will find striking differences Of tenn
permanent. This child is too timid, and
that too bold, and this too miserly, and
that too wasteful; this too inactive, and
that too boisterous. Now, the farmer
WHO should plant corn, and wheat and
turnips in just the same way, then put
them
THROUGH ONE HOPPER
and grind them in the ssme mill, would
not be so much of "a fool as the parents
who should sttempt to discipline and ed
ucate all their children in the same mat
ner. 1t needs q skillful hand to adjust
these checks and balances. The rightly
OF government which is necessary to hold
IN this impetuous nature would utterly
crush that feXile disposition, while the
gentle reproof that would suffice for the
latter would, when used on the former,
be like attempting to hold cha piDg
Bucephalus with reins of gossamer God
gives US in the disposition of each child 8
hint as TO how we ought TO train him, and
as God in the mental structure of our
children indicates what mode of training
is the best, He also indicStes il
the disposition their future occupation.
-, obi RyI1l ko